Here I am.  Another three hours of playing “answer the script” for the Godaddy Hosting expert in the support chat box.  The last time it was because they couldn’t give me access to change mx records for a client that had Office365 email but hosted at Godaddy.

Before that, it was explaining to them that I needed FTP access to the site. That consumed over an hour to establish that.

Before that it was trying to move the site off Godaddy hosting because of problems on the back end that they would not allow me access to fix. Another few hours down the drain.

Before that…  Well you get the idea.

Hidden “Features”

This time around I learned something everyone who hosts on Godaddy should know.  They hate backups.  Maybe not the concept, but adding a backup routine to a site must be done very carefully.  Why?  Backups make .zip files and Godaddy policy is you can’t store zip files in your directory.  It doesn’t matter if you pay for a Gig of space and you are nowhere near your max.  Having .zip files in your site directory results in going to your site and getting the “Account Suspended” screen.

That’s right.  Your account will be suspended and you will have no access to your site.  Even if you want to fix the problem, you can’t, because your account is locked and held hostage.  So, it’s back in chat with the experts.  They say to simply go in and remove the obnoxious zip files and they will consider turning the account back on.  Great.  Except you can’t get into the account to delete the files.

The Infamous Chat

So, I plead to them to give me ftp access to get in.  They temporarily unlocked the account so I could change the cpanel password to get access via FTP.  Glory, hallelujah, I have access. I go in to start deleting the offending files. But wait.  As I’m deleting the files, I get disconnected from FTP.  It seems as though they only unlocked the account long enough for me to change my password. Then locked it up again.

Another 45 min of chat with them asking me to “try it again” with no luck.  Apparently they don’t understand why I can’t access a locked account.  After multiple tries, the expert tells me they have opened a ticket and they will contact me in 72 hours once it’s resolved.   What is to resolve?  Give me access to delete the files and we can all move on.  So I ask if it will be three days before I can do what they want me to do and I get the reply it can be fixed in 72 hours and I don’t need to do anything else for now.

So, I have a company that hosts two websites that are suspended with no course of action other than wait until Godaddy decides they can be turned on.  My guess is they won’t because those awful zip files are still there and there is no way to delete them.

So my advice to anyone hosting a site on Godaddy.  RUN AWAY! Find a reputable hosting company or a web developer who understands how things work in the real world and move your site before it’s too late. perhaps you could even find someone here.

But wait.  There’s More!

Two days go by and the email from support arrives.  Here’s what they say:

“Our admins were able to identify and correct the issue preventing FTP from being accessible.  You may now access the cPanel plan via FTP in order to remove the content we advised previously.”

Awesome!  Now I can go in and delete those pesky files.  But – guess what?  I still can’t get in.  Every login I try including the “special” one support set up for me had access denied.

So, back in chat.  I put in the ticket reference number so they would know what I’m wanting.  After spending 30 min explaining what the ticket was about, it was determined I was chatting with the wrong person and needed to be transferred to a different section.

Again, I provide the ticket number and a detailed explanation of what I want.  They have me try to login three more times.  Nope.  Still doesn’t work.  Then they say they need to talk to the advanced team to see if they can re-open the same ticket or should they make a new one.

The Experts!

Another 20 minutes goes by waiting.  They come back and want to know what error I receive when trying to login. I send them a snapshot of the authentication failed message to confirm that in fact, it doesn’t like my user name/password combination.

So then support says they are re-opening the ticket.  I ask the loaded question, “Does that mean another three days?” I get the wonderful answer “Not that much. You might get the response within 24 hours”

I also received the reassuring comment “Trust me, I really want to help you out here. So I am really doing it.”

Followed by: “I really wished I could do more for you. But this part can be done by our advanced team, and your ticket is set on high priority. Just for you.”  I feel special now.

So stay tuned to the continuing saga to find out if the sites are ever restored.

To quote Pepe LePew. “le sigh”

 

  • Update – It was only another two and a half days to gain access to the sites to fix them.  Total downtime almost two weeks.